"And Ahrick?" I could barely get the words out past the constriction in my throat. "Where's Ahrick?"
"He went after Hewes." Roone's ears flattened even further against his skull, disappearing into his dark fur. "Tried to kill him with his bare hands. He almost succeeded too. Got past three guards, got his hands on him. Broke his wrist like a dry twig, nearly crushed his throat. But Hewes's guards, too many of them. They shot him."
The world narrowed to a single point of white-hot pain.
They shot him.
"Is he—" I couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't make myself say the word that would make it real.
"He's alive," Roone said again, and I latched onto those words like a lifeline. "But Hewes is keeping him that way for a reason. He's going to execute Ahrick publicly. Make an exampleof him. Show everyone in Fange City what happens when you challenge his authority. At dawn. Day after tomorrow."
My legs gave out.
I hit the floor hard, my knees cracking against the rough wood planks, my hands bracing against the splintered surface. For a moment my mind shattered. I couldn't think. Couldn't process what Roone had just told me. The words echoed in my head, bouncing off the inside of my skull, refusing to make sense.
Public execution.
Chapter 17
Merrilee
"No."
The word came out as a whisper, barely audible even to my own ears. "No, that's not—he can't—there has to be another way—"
"Merrilee." Roone's small hand touched my arm, warm and solid and real. "We don't have much time. Hewes has people looking for you, headed into the wastelands. Every second we waste is a second we can't get back."
I looked up at him through the blur of tears I hadn't realized were falling, and something in his expression steadied me. Anchored me. Roone was terrified—I saw it in every line of his small body, in the tension in his shoulders, in the way his whiskers trembled—but he was here. He'd come back to tell me. To help.
I forced myself to breathe. To focus. To think past the panic clawing at my chest.
"The comm unit," I said, my voice hoarse. "Ahrick gave me a comm unit before he sent me away. I can contact his friend Nansar. He's with the Alliance—they have ships, resources, soldiers—"
My hands were shaking violently now, tremors running through my entire body. I pressed them flat against the floor,trying to stop the trembling, trying to regain control, but it spread through my limbs like wildfire.
Ahrick was going to die.
Unless I did something.
I pushed myself to my feet, my legs unsteady beneath me, threatening to dump me back on the floor. I crossed to the corner of the shack where I'd hidden the comm unit beneath a loose board. My fingers fumbled with the wood, nails catching on splinters, prying it up with shaking hands. Then I had the small device in my hands, the metal cool against my sweating palms.
It was heavier than I remembered. Or maybe that was just the weight of what I was about to do.
"Show me how to use it," I said, turning to face Roone.
This unit was older, not like the ones I'd used on the Ardeese Valout. Those had been sleek, intuitive, with touch-responsive surfaces that practically read your mind. This one was bulkier, with physical buttons and switches that required actual pressure to activate. Built to survive rough handling and harsh conditions rather than impress with elegant design.
Roone hesitated, his large eyes searching my face. "Merrilee—"
"Show me." My voice came out harder now, steadier. "Please."
He climbed onto the makeshift table with surprising agility, his small claws finding purchase on the rough surface, and took the device from my trembling hands. His small fingers moved over the controls, dancing across symbols and buttons I didn't recognize, and a moment later, a holographic display flickered to life above the unit, casting blue-white light across the dim interior of the shack.
"Press here to initiate contact," he said, pointing to a symbol that looked vaguely like a spiral within a circle. "It'salready programmed with the frequency. Nansar should answer within minutes if he's near a receiver."
I took the device back carefully, my heart slamming against my ribs so hard it hurt.
"Thank you, Roone."
